Men's Basketball

Brown Basketball Hosts Sacred Heart In Home Opener

Nov 19, 2010

Providence, Rhode Island - After opening the season with two consecutive road games, the Brown men's basketball will have an opportunity to play in front of the home fans on Saturday, November 20, hosting Sacred Heart at the Pizzitola Sports Center. Tip-off is 7:00 p.m.

The Records: Brown (1-1) ran into a buzz-saw in the University of Rhode Island on Tuesday and dropped a 92-67 decision to the Rams in Kingston. Senior Garrett Leffelman and freshman Sean McGonagill scored 11 points each to lead the Bears. Brown, which will play six games in the next 16 days before breaking for finals, had previously beaten Fordham, 69-65, to open its season. Sacrec Heart dropped to 0-3 on the young season following a 73-65 loss to UMass in Amherst, MA on Wednesday.

The Brown-Sacred Heart Series Record: The Bears and Pioneers met for the first time last year (12/30/09) with Sacred Heart coming out on top of an 83-78 decision in Fairfield, CT.

Sullivan Hits Top 20 In Scoring: Senior captain Peter Sullivan moved into 20th place on Brown's all-time scoring list with 1,062 career points for the Bears, moving past Gerry Alaimo, who scored 1,046 points for Brown from 1955-1958. Alaimo also coached the Bears from 1969-1978.

McGonagill Impressive: Freshman point guard Sean McGonagill (Brookfield, IL) was impressive in his collegiate debut against Fordham. He scored nine points, handed out six assists, pulled down five rebounds, and had no turnovers in 33 minutes of play in a starting role. He also connected on 3 of 5 treys against the Rams. He came back to score 11 points, hand out four assists and grab five rebounds against Rhode Island.

Peter Sullivan Plays At Both Ends of the Court: Senior All-Ivy forward Peter Sullivan (Wilmette, IL) opened the season by scoring 17 points in Brown's win over Fordham, and handed out a career high five assists against Rhode Island. He is the fourth player in Brown basketball history to score 1,000 or more points prior to his senior year. He joins Earl Hunt '03 (2,041), Arnie Berman '72 (1,668) and Jason Forte '05 (1,597) as the only Brown players to have reached the 1,000-point milestone as juniors. He now has 1,062 career points, 20th best in Brown basketball history. He was the only Brown player to start all 31 games last season, setting a new Brown record for games started in a season, while averaging 12.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. An excellent long-range shooter, Sullivan's 125 career treys rank 10th in the Brown record book. Sullivan scored 20 or more points six times last season, including a career high 28 points against Holy Cross, connecting on 12 of 12 free throws against the Crusaders. He also registered double-doubles against Dartmouth (23 points, 11 rebounds) and American (19 points, 11 rebounds).

Brown's 1,000 Point Scorers

1. 2,041 Earl Hunt (1999-03)

2. 1,668 Arnie Berman (1969-72)

3. 1,597 Jason Forte (2001-05)

4. 1,344 Alai Nuualiitia (1999-03)

5. 1,331 Mike Cingiser (1959-62)

6. 1,328 Marcus Thompson (1985-89)

7. 1,319 Joe Tebo (1955-58)

8. 1,306 Damon Huffman (2004-08)

9. 1,294 Rick Lloyd (1988-92)

10. 1,288 Brian Saunders (1974-77)

11. 1,241 Phil Brown (1972-75)

1,241 Peter Moss (1977-80)

13. 1,190 Chuck Savage (1988-92)

14. 1,165 Mike Waitkus (1982-86)

15. 1,147 Lou Murgo (1951-55)

16. 1,134 Matt Mullery (2006-2010)

17. 1,133 Rusty Tyler (1968-1971)

18. 1,100 Mark McAndrew (2004-08)

19. 1,079 Ira James (1979-1982)

20. 1,062 Peter Sullivan (2007-present)

21. 1,046 Gerry Alaimo (1955-58)

22. 1,031 Eric Blackiston (1992-96)

23. 1,011 Brian Lloyd (1992-96)

24. 1,009 Woody Grimshaw (1944-47)

Leffelman One Of Ivy League's Top Marksmen: Senior guard Garrett Leffelman (Naperville, IL) scored eight points and grabbed a team high seven rebounds in Brown's season-opening win over Fordham, and came back with 11 points against Rhode Island. He came on strong at the end of the season, starting Brown's last 11 games, and scoring in double figures in seven of those games. He was the Ivy League's second leading marksman, shooting 55-percent from the field, while averaging 12.0 points per game in league contests. He registered a career scoring high on four consecutive weekends late in the season, including a career high 20 points in Brown's last game of the year against Columbia.

Team Captains: Brown head basketball coach Jesse Agel has named seniors Peter Sullivan and Adrian Williams co-captains of this year's team.

Halpern Helps Brown Offense Run: Sophomore forward Tucker Halpern (Brookline, MA) tossed in 10 points and pulled down four rebounds against URI. He had a poor shooting first half against Fordham, but finished with 10 second half points, while handing out a career best six assists. Halpern started 10 of 29 games last year, and was Brown's third leading scorer with 8.1 points per game, while pulling down 3.5 rebounds per game. He scored in double figures nine times, and exploded for a career high 26 points against Quinnipiac where he connected on 6-of-13 treys. A two-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week, Halpern's 23 steals led the Bears, while he handed out 66 assists, second on the Brown team. His six treys vs. Quinnipiac rank eighth in the Brown record book for a single game.

McCarthy Provides Inside Presence: Sophomore forward Andrew McCarthy's (Sudbury, MA) provided an inside presence for the Bears against Fordham, scoring 11 points on 5 of 8 shooting from the field, while pulling down four rebounds. He added eight points against Rhode Island. His 6.7 points per game were fifth on last year's squad, while his 4.7 rebounds a game ranked second. He blocked 33 shots, seventh best in Brown basketball history and the most ever for a first year player. McCarthy, who started 16 of 31 games, was twice named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week. He scored in double figures eight times, including a career high 18 points against Siena, and grabbed double figure rebounds twice, pulling down a career best 12 rebounds against Army.

Williams Nears Top 10 In Treys: Senior guard Adrian Williams (Atlanta, GA) came off the bench to provide some much needed offense in Brown's win over Fordham, hitting 3-of-4 field goals, including 2 of 3 from behind the three-point arc. He came back with six points against URI. He played in all 31 games a year ago and tossed-in a season high 17 points against Kean, hitting 5 of 7 treys. He also connected on 5-of-7 treys in scoring 15 points against Dartmouth. His 42 treys led last year's team after hitting a team high 58 treys two years ago. Williams, who has connected on 118 career three-point field goals, averaged 11.0 points per game as a sophomore. He needs 7 more treys to enter Brown's Top 10 for career treys.

Matt Sullivan Returns To Natural Position: Sophomore guard Matt Sullivan, who tossed in six points against URI on Tuesday, had a major impact as a first-year player last season, starting 29 of 31 games. A natural two-guard for the Bears, he transitioned into Brown's starting point guard. He will return to the shooting-guard position this year. He scored in double figures six times, netting a season high 12 points against Providence and Bryant. Named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week for his play against Siena and Bryant, Sullivan's 65 assists ranked third on the Brown team, handing out a career best seven assists against Philadelphia Sciences. He was also an 80-percent free throw shooter (37 of 46) for the Bears.

Head Coach Jesse Agel: Bears' head Coach Jesse Agel begins his third season at the helm of the Bears' basketball program with a goal of building the basketball program into an annual contender for the Ivy League Championship. Before taking over the reins of the program, the 48-year-old Agel (pronounced A-gull) was an assistant at Brown for two years, helping the Bears register a school-record 19 victories in 2007-2008, while gaining a berth in the post-season College Basketball Invitational. During his 17-year stint at Vermont, Agel was the architect of the Catamount's recent success on the basketball court. A 1984 graduate of Vermont, Agel was the associate head coach at Vermont for eight years under head coach Tom Brennan.

Long Wait Ends For Ponticelli: When sophomore forward Tyler Ponticelli (Northbrook, IL) arrived at Brown in the fall of 2009, he never imagined that we would be unable to play for the entire season due to injury. He made the most of his first collegiate opportunity against Fordham by scoring four points, on 2 of 2 shooting from the field, grabbing three offensive rebounds, and blocking a shot in 16 minutes of play. He pulled down four rebounds against Rhode Island.

Brown Basketball Interactive Magazine: Brown Athletics launched a bold initiative to present its athletic teams in a modern, interactive mode with the release of the Men's Basketball Interactive Magazine, which is available for view on Brownbears.com. The Brown basketball interactive magazine can be viewed by going to the men's basketball team page on brownbears.com, and clicking on the Interactive Magazine link under Team Information. Here's link to the basketball magazine: http://www.pursuantmedia.com/brownathletics/basketball/men/1110/default.asp

Bear Facts: Senior forward Chris Taylor (Plymouth, MN) played in 29 games, a year ago, earning five starts, and brings a wealth of experience to the Bears frontcourt. He pulled down a career high seven rebounds against Providence…Freshman Dockery Walker (Dover, DE), who netted two points and grabbed four rebounds against Rhode Island, comes to Brown from Westtown (PA) High School, where he scored 11 points and grabbed 9.0 rebounds as a senior...Freshman guard/forward Josh Biber (Lorain, OH) saw his first playing time against Rhode Island. He played at IMG Academy last year, and averaged 19.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game as a senior at Southview High School…Freshman guard Hakeem Harris (Bergenfield, NJ) is a combo guard from Blair Academy. He scored 17 points and handed out 8 assists per game his senior season…Sophomore guard Stephen Albrecht (Crown Point, IN), a transfer from Toledo, averaged 11.2 points per game for the Rockets and scored 20 points vs. Michigan State and Cornell. Albrecht will sit out the 2010-11 season and will be eligible in 2011-2012.

Brothers: Last year, brothers Peter '11 and Matt '13 Sullivan were the first brother duo to start together at Brown since Don '65 and Dave '66 Tarr lettered together for two years, in 1964 and 1965, respectively.

Bears On The Air: Brown's entire schedule is being broadcast on WPRV-AM 790 with Scott Cordischi, the host of the popular Scott Cordischi on Sports, calling all the action. Former Brown basketball star Russ Tyler '71 (1,133 career points) provides the color analysis.

Next Game: Brown is home again on Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, November 24, hosting St. Francis (NY) in a late afternoon game. Game time is 4:00 p.m. at the Pizzitola Sports Center.